South Africa’s energy outlook continues to improve, with Eskom’s State of the System and Winter Outlook indicating that collaborative efforts are contributing to improved energy availability factors. While more is needed to end the energy crisis, wind energy remains a crucial part of the energy mix to combat loadshedding.
“With the current wind capacity of 2GW, wind power alleviates between one to two stages of load shedding during peak periods by contributing to the grid. Developments of this scale have the potential to power approximately 3,6-million households annually in South Africa, providing relief to the country’s dire economic conditions stemming from energy security issues,” explains Niveshen Govender, CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association.
This is evidenced by the 2023 Renewable Energy Grid Survey, which is a collaboration between SAWEA, Eskom and SAPVIA. In the Association’s effort to ensure the most accurate and updated projections, the survey has become an annual monitoring tool requesting developers to provide information that will assist with future energy planning.